Animal Instincts
by Alia Iris
Summary: An old fic which has been hiding in the recesses of our computers. A mysterious striped queen appears, bringing with her a potentially dangerous past. Please R&R! Chapters 15 & 16 are up!
1. Chapter 1: Mysterious Stranger

_Disclaimer: *ahem* Okay, here goes. We don't own anything here except for the story, Alyzria, and any feline with tiger-patterned fur. We'd also like to note that this story is fairly old, and we have, um, evolved since then. So please be gentle with your criticism. :)_

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Chapter 1: Mysterious Stranger 

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A ray of pale yellow sunlight lanced through the shattered window of one of the junkyard's many demolished cars to land on Bombalurina's closed eyes. She mumbled something and turned over on the ripped car seat, trying to go back to sleep. Finally, after several minutes of tossing and turning, her eyes fluttered open. Bomba sighed. She was well and truly awake now - might as well get up. She yawned and stretched as far as she could before hitting the car's wall and crawled out into the junkyard. 

Still yawning, Bomba looked around for any unsuspecting rodent which would do the honours of serving her as breakfast - not that she was really hungry, come to think of it. 

Suddenly, an almost juvenile feminine voice tore her out of her contemplations regarding her morning meal. 

"Hey Bomb, wait up!" 

Bomba turned around to catch sight of Alyzria, one of the younger members of the Jellicle tribe. The older cat sighed, not for the first time that morning. She had been hoping for some quality time on her own, but her soft spot for Alyzria kept her from telling the Siamese to leave her alone. She reluctantly stopped walking and let her young friend catch up with her. Alyzria, who had been running at full speed, came to a skidding halt next to the ginger tabby cat. Now Bomba noticed that Alyzria was holding her own Breakfast, which turned out to be a large rabbit. Of course that explained her excitement - it was not every day that such a large catch entered the junkyard. Alyzria could hardly contain her pride. Almost immediately a flow of words came bubbling from her. 

"Isn't this great? My first bunny! This is - " 

"Whoa, slow down Aly!" 

Bomba had absolutely no desire to listen to a rambling hyperactive kitten. The dark Siamese interpreted Bomba's words correctly and immediately set to work at controlling her happiness. After taking a few deep breaths, Alyzria started talking again. 

"So anyways, what have you caught for brekkie?" 

Bomba looked a little sheepish. 

"Nothing yet. I think I might skip breakf - " 

She didn't get to finish her sentence, for Alyzria immediately cried, "No way," and Bomba found herself firmly gripped by the arms and steered on top of an upturned fridge. Alyzria was already getting ready to tear her rabbit in half before Bomba stopped her. 

"No you don't! I've gotta watch my weight." 

Alyzria, who had taken a quick glance at Bomba's perfect form, gave her a slightly bewildered look, but made no further attempt to share her already mutilated Breakfast. 

Halfway through the meal, Tantomile and Coricopat, the tribe's `psychic twins' appeared, each holding a fat rat. 

"I sensed that you would join us for breakfast today," Coricopat greeted them in a misty voice, but the mischievous glimmer in his eyes didn't escape Bomba and Alyzria. 

"And I sensed that Bomba is turning anorexic," Tantomile added with a cheeky grin. Bomba rolled her eyes at the twins' incredibly enlightening prophecies. They ignored her and sat down on the fridge next to them, before devouring their rats. Bomba, who had nothing else to do, deftly climbed up to the top of a pile of car tyres and other junk, to look at the view. After a while, the other three joined her. 

"Hey, what's that?" 

Alyzria pointed at a strangely lopsided figure in the distance. All four of them watched intently as the figure moved towards them, until it became apparent that the figure was another cat - a female by the looks of it. 

Bomba raised her eyebrows in confusion. As the figure came closer, and into the light, it became clear that this was not a member of her tribe. Alyzria's reaction was slightly different; she bounded down from the pile of junk on which she had been perched to greet the newcomer. Close up, she could now see why the feline was stumbling in such a lopsided manner. Not only was she slashed and bloody (apparently by some sort of sharp weapon), but her fur was also scorched and she was gasping for breath, as if exhausted. After having digested her surprise and slight queasiness in her stomach, she turned around to look at the others, who could see her alarmed expression. 

"You guys! **_Get down here now!_**" she called. 

Her three companions could hear the urgency in her voice, and quickly made their way down to where Alyzria was standing. When they arrived, Alyzria was already holding up the outsider for support and urging her to breathe more slowly. Now that they could see the terrible state that their visitor was in, the twins bounded off in search for Jellylorum, one of the tribe's healers. Meanwhile, Alyzria and Bomba tried to get some information out of the gasping newcomer. 

"Okay, take it easy now - look, you'd better take those things off your back." 

Bomba opened the blood-crusted leather strap which held two long thin scimitars to the stranger's back. Alyzria's curiosity got the better of her, and she tentatively unsheathed one of the curved knives, only to discover that they were also smeared in blood. Bomba, who had taken a quick look at the scimitar chose this moment to put two and two together. 

"Judging by her wounds, the blood on her scimitars, and her exhausted state, I'd say our friend here's been in a fight." 

Their `friend' , who had collapsed, managed a weak, though definitely cynical smile and croaked, 

"You got that right." 

Before they could question her any more, the twins arrived with Jellylorum in tow. 

Jellylorum's eyes widened in horror as she saw her patient's physical condition. 

"All right, get out of the way, you lot," she said in a business-like tone, and the others obediently let the healer do her work. Jelly's business-like tone suddenly gave way to the more motherly voice she reserved for her patients. 

"Can you breathe all right?" she asked with concern radiating from her eyes. 

The tiger patterned cat managed a nod, before slumping in Jelly's arms in a dead faint. 

"Cori, give me a hand. This girl's pooped." 

The male psychic twin easily lifted the lower end of the nameless cat, and carefully followed Jellylorum to the den where she tended her patients. 

"We didn't even find out her name," Tantomile realized. 

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	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

_Disclaimer: Yeah, you know the drill. We own nothing here except for a certain black Siamese and a certain tiger-striped female._

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Chapter 2: Awakening 

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Alyzria sat in front of Jellylorum's den, every nerve tingling and alert. She wanted to pace around the entrance, but she stopped herself from doing so. It took every ounce of self-control she had not to drum her fingers. She hadn't realised how agonising it could be just to wait. Jellylorum and Coricopat had been inside the den for hours, and still no news had reached her about the condition of that morning's visitor! 

Alyzria's hands where clasped together so tightly that the outline of her knuckles was clearly visible against the skin. She looked around for something she could distract herself with. The stranger's scimitars where propped up against the wall beside her. As she had done that morning, Alyzria picked up one of the two long, curved swords and carefully unsheathed it. The blood-smeared blade brought on a wave of nausea, and Alyzria clenched all her stomach muscles to stop herself from recycling her last meal. She forced herself to look at the scimitar again. Now that the air had been allowed to touch the bloody mess that was the scimitar, an overpowering, slightly fleshy smell rose from it. 

The young Siamese sighed. At least she had something to do now. She took one of the many rags next to the healer den's entrance and wet it with the water that came bubbling from the nearby spring. Carefully, she ran the wet piece of cloth along the blade, and noted with astonishment that one single wipe had practically soaked the whole rag in the ghastly red liquid. Also, the rag had suffered a vicious cut. The edge of the sword was razor sharp! Quickly, Alyzria washed the cloth in the spring next to her, kept on wiping the sword, and repeated the process numerous times. 

Finally, after rinsing out the scabbards, she re-sheathed the now-clean swords. Alyzria hated to think of the condition the stranger's opponent must be in now. Remembering how sharp the edge of the blades had been, she shivered. They really must have done a lot of damage. 

Alyzria yawned and leaned against the wall behind her. She hadn't realised how tiring the work had been. Just before she was about to drop off into a snooze, Coricopat came out of the den, looking as tired as she felt. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his back with a loud yawn, then looked at her with an expression of mild surprise. 

"You're still here?" he asked. "It's been almost five hours, you know." 

"Yeah, I know." 

Alyzria couldn't help feeling a little sheepish. 

"How is she, anyway?" 

Coricopat blinked a little, trying to stay awake. 

"The tiger girl? She'll live. Jelly's still fussing around her, but I don't really think that's necessary anymore, she's done all she can at the moment. Good thing we found her so quickly - that girl was in really rough shape. I'm surprised she even made it here - she's torn various muscles, and she's been sliced clear across the shoulder blade." 

He yawned again, then continued, 

"No broken bones though, so that's good news." 

Before Alyzria could comment, Jellylorum appeared, looking a bit worse for wear. However, she didn't look as worried as she had five hours ago, so that had to be a good sign. Still, a look of confusion clouded her usually calm features. 

"What's the matter, Jelly?" Alyzria asked, still worried. 

Jellylorum frowned. "I'm not sure exactly. It's just that some of her injuries can't have been only done with some sort of blade. Some patches of her fur are definitely burnt off." 

Alyzria's eyes widened. That's right - she had noticed the charred patches of fur their visitor had. She scuffed her feet. 

"Um... could I - could I go in and see her?" 

Alyzria immediately regretted that question when she saw the surprised looks on Jellylorum and Coricopat's faces. Jelly raised her eyebrows. 

"Well, she's still unconcious, but if you really want to..." 

Alyzria gave her a slightly embarrassed look. "I really just wanted to return these..." she said, and vaguely waved one hand towards the two scimitars, which still were propped up against the wall. 

Jelly's surprised look turned into one of understanding. She wordlessly went back into the den and indicated for Alyzria, who was already cradling the sheathed knives, to follow. 

The stranger was lying on a makeshift bed of rags which had been spread on the floor to result in a sort of rectangular heap. She was looking only fractionally better now - the numerous bloody scrapes had been cleaned and disinfected, the charred bits of flesh had been rubbed in a soothing cream which Alyzria recognised by its strong mint smell, and a clean bandage had been diagonally wrapped around her torso to cover a vicious cut which ran from the right shoulder to the left hip as well as the wound over the shoulderblade Coricopat had mentioned. 

Looking at her face now, Alyzria realised that Jelly's patient looked very young - only barely older than Alyzria herself. Careful to stop the scimitars from making any noise, Alyzria placed them next to the unconcious feline and turned around to creep back outside when a moan behind her startled the Siamese into turning around. The cat who had been unconcious just a moment ago had lifted her left hand to touch her obviously aching head. Alyzria walked back and crouched next to the stranger, who looked up at her through half-open amber eyes. 

"Did you get the number of that truck that ran me over?" she croaked. 

Alyzria blinked in confusion. 

"I thought you were in a fight?" 

The tiger-patterned cat grinned weakly. 

"Who said that my fight wasn't with a truck?" 

Alyzria pointed to the scimitars next to her as an answer. The stranger's face briefly took on a strange expression, but it faded quickly. Alyzria noticed her brief thankful smile before the injured cat's eyes closed and her suddenly regular breathing indicated that she had fallen into an exhausted sleep. 

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	3. Chapter 3: Untangling The Threads

Chapter 3: Untangling The Threads 

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"But Mistoffelees, it's important!" Alyzria pleaded. Mistoffelees sighed. He hated it when his meditation got interrupted, but his affection for the young queen stopped him from throwing her out of his comfortable dwelling. 

"Alright, what is it?" he asked, sighing heavily as he sat down on an old, worn sofa. Alyzria grinned happily at her success in making him listen, though a touch of worry could be seen in her creased brow. She grabbed his paw and hoisted the tom up off the sofa with a grunt, and led him out into the sunshine. 

"I'd better show you," Alyzria said. 

* * *

Mistoffelees bent down to examine the tiger-patterned cat more closely. He was startled at the intensity of the burns he saw. The bits of ashy fur next to her made him sneeze violently. 

"Well, it's fairly obvious that these are burns." 

"Duh," said Tantomile and Alyzria together, rolling their eyes at the informative statement. 

"The shape of them is quite unusual though," he continued, frowning as he brushed away some scorched fur. 

"What do you mean?" asked Tantomile, who had joined the pair in Jellylorum's den to examine the injured feline. 

"Well, see how there's a really badly burnt bit in the middle, then the burns deplete in severity as they radiate outwards?" 

Tantomile and Alyzria bent closer to inspect a particularly serious burn on the patient's right forearm and nodded, waiting for more information. The magical cat could be so obscure! 

"Well, that's probably because she was hit by a firebolt. The fire hits the flesh, causing the worst of the burn, then diffuses outward as the flames die." 

"But if she was hit by a firebolt, then she was fighting a magic cat," said Tantomile. 

"Does that mean she could be magic as well?" Alyzria asked. 

"There's really no way of knowing until you ask her," Mistoffelees replied, now with his back turned to the patient. 

"And even if you did, I wouldn't necessarily answer you," commented the stranger, heaving herself up on the arm that wasn't too badly burnt and staring at the trio with her amber orbs. 

"Nice to see you're awake," said Tantomile evenly. 

"Just so you don't keep calling me "the tiger-patterned cat" or "the stranger" or "the patient", or anything of that description, my name is Rubena." 

Mistoffelees blinked. 

"Isn't that the name of a fruit drink that humans have?" he asked. Alyzria swatted him playfully. 

"That's _Ribena_, you silly galoot!" she said, giggling. Rubena grinned. 

"That's the first time I've ever been mistaken for a beverage," she commented with a wry smile. Within a few minutes, she had fallen into an exhausted sleep once more. 

* * *

The black striped silver tabby paced around his den. 

"Okay, let me get this straight," he said finally, sitting down on a sheepskin rug. "A tiger striped queen?" 

"Rubena," Tantomile interjected. 

"Rubena, whatever, came staggering into the Junkyard. She was badly injured, burnt and bleeding profusely. You cleaned her up and put her in the healer's den without consulting myself or Old Deuteronomy?" he asked in astonishment. 

"Munkustrap!" Tantomile berated him. "How you could be so callous? She was dying, for Heaviside's sake!" 

Munkustrap stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"That's different, I guess. Anyway, we need to speak with Old Deuteronomy before anything more can be done about her wish to become a Jellicle." 

Alyzria rolled her eyes. Slowly, as though the leader's son was a rather dim kitten, she began to explain. 

"Munkus, Munkus, my dear young kit." 

Tantomile snorted. 

"She hasn't expressed any wish to become part of the Jellicle tribe. In fact, she hasn't expressed anything much yet because she is unable to stay awake for over a few minutes!" 

Munkustrap blinked. 

"I didn't realize her injuries were that serious. Well, she can stay until she's up and about, but she'll have be dealt with by Old Deuteronomy when her injuries have healed up." 

"Dealt with? You make it sound like she's done something wrong!" Alyzria growled angrily. "I doubt it was even her fault that she got into that fight, or whatever happened to her!" 

Tantomile was inclined to agree, though she didn't say as much. Alyzria's mouth could often get her into trouble. 

Munkustrap hastily corrected his error. 

"What I meant was, she'll have to speak to him and explain what exactly happened, why she's here, and so on." 

Alyzria pursed her lips, frowning. Jellylorum, who had kept quiet during this entire discussion, finally spoke up. 

"That young queen won't be any state to walk to the Vicarage Wall for quite some time. If she needs to talk to Old Deuteronomy, he'd best come here." 

With that, the brown and cream tabby left to tend to her patient. 

Munkustrap sighed. 

"I'll go and notify our leader that he is needed here." 

Alyzria and Tantomile smiled. 

"We should go and tell Bombalurina and Coricopat what's going on," said Alyzria, uncharacteristically serious. 

Together, the young Siamese and the elder psychic feline went to seek the two cats who had been with them the previous morning. 

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	4. Chapter 4: Decisions

Chapter 4: Decisions 

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_Rubena stood opposite a cat who was the spitting image of herself, save an old vertical scar that went over her eyebrow, scimitars in hand. Her opponent's face twisted into an ugly sneer as a beam of white-hot energy that resembled fire shot from her outstretched palms and straight towards Rubena..._

Rubena awoke with a start, soaked in sweat and gasping for breath. Two worried faces bent over her: one of them she recognised - it was the young Siamese queen she had had a short conversation with during one of her brief waking moments. The other face belonged to an elderly tabby Rubena didn't remember seeing before. 

"Are you all right?" The elderly cat looked concerned. Now Rubena remembered her - she had heard that cat's voice just before fainting and then finding herself where she was now. She considered the question she had just been asked. 

"I'm aching all over - does that classify as `all right'?" 

Jellylorum's face broke into a small smile. 

"It's probably as close to all right as you are going to be for a long time," she admitted. "How did you ever get yourself into such a mess?" 

The tiger-striped queen's eyes darkened, and she looked into the other direction. 

"I'd rather not talk about it," she confessed. 

A look of worried confusion crossed Jellylorum's face. What was this girl hiding? She decided not to press the issue - her patient was still in too delicate a condition to be placed into distress. Jelly left the tigress alone with the Siamese to attend to her other patients. 

Alyzria leaned closer to the battered form of Rubena, who had turned her head to look back up at the ceiling again. 

"Do you really know how to use these things?" she asked, pointing at the scimitars next to her. 

Rubena gave the weapons a rueful look. 

"Yeah, sure enough." 

Alyzria wanted to ask more questions, but she decided against doing so just yet - she had a feeling most of them would result the same way Jellylorum's enquiry about her patient's wounds had done. Instead, she just sat next to her, not really wanting to leave. 

After a few minutes, Mistoffelees entered the den, looking tired. Munkustrap was behind him. Rubena looked up at the two toms, recognising the tribe's magician. A wide grin crept over her face. 

"Well, if it isn't the beverage cat." 

Mistoffelees glared at her. 

"_You're_ the beverage, not me," he replied hotly. 

Munkustrap blinked in cofusion. Beverages?? He shook his head, muttering to himself. 

"So, you're the tiger-striped queen, are you?" 

Rubena looked up at the silver cat, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. 

"The last time I checked, I was _a_ tiger-striped queen, not _the_ tiger-striped queen," she commented. "But unless there are others who fit that description in your vicinity, I suspect the answer is affirmative." 

Munkustrap raised a skeptical eyebrow at the queen's sass. She was obviously in a better condition than she had been when he first heard about her. He cleared his throat and turned to Mistoffelees. 

"I will be leaving you alone with this... _lady_. You may explain the current situation to her." 

Before Mistoffelees could protest, Munkustrap had stalked out of the den. 

After sending a flurry of evil looks after Munkus, Misto turned to face Rubena, who was now sitting up with Alyzria supporting her. Misto sighed. 

"All right then, here's the deal," he explained. "We don't usually tolerate strangers in here - the only reason we made an exception with you was the fact that you were half-dead. Now that you're here, you've got two choices: You could either leave once you heal up, or you could become a Jellicle - that's a member of our tribe. If you decide on the latter, you will have to go through a formal initiation. A sort of test, if you will." 

Rubena blinked at the sudden flow of information. 

"Do I get some time to think about this? What is this `test', anyway?" 

A tiny smile appeared on Misto's face. 

"Ah yes, that's the fun part. You see, the `challenge', as we call it, varies from cat to cat. As for getting time to think it over: your time for that ends when our leader, Old Deutoronomy, arrives." 

With that, Misto left the den. Rubena stared at the spot where he had been. 

"What do you think you're gonna do?" 

With a start, Rubena realised that Alyzria was still holding her up and looking at her curiously. Once again, a dark look clouded the tigress's features. Finally, she sighed, and looked at the young Siamese. 

"I think I might well take the black guy up on his offer," she said slowly. "What do you think I should do?" 

Alyzria shrugged. 

"It would certainly be a rare occurence if you joined. As Mistoffelees - that's the black cat - said, the tribe isn't really that tolerant towards new cats." 

"_You_ don't seem so intolerant," Rubena pointed out. 

Alyzria grinned, revealing her left eyetooth, which had lost its sharp tip in an accident. 

"Well, they _do_ all accuse me of just being a kit." 

"Which you're not?" the tigress enquired with an impish grin. 

If Alyzria's face hadn't been covered in grey fur, she would have blushed beet red. As it was, a definite tinge of red could be detected underneath. She lowered the battered feline back onto her makeshift bed and mumbled something about Rubena needing some rest (which was the last thing the tigress wanted, since she had slept for nearly two days). 

Alyzria was just about to exit the den when Rubena called out after her. She turned around at the entrance. 

"D'you have a name?" the tiger-striped queen asked. 

The younger cat suffered another wave of embarrassment. 

"Alyzria," she called back, then walked out into the sunshine. The last two days certainly had been quite eventful! 

* * *

Rubena lay awake in the middle of the night, thinking. Now that her exhaustion had subsided, sleep was the last thing she needed, and she had some time to take note of her injuries. 

Her thoughts drifted back to Misto's words. _"Or you could become a Jellicle..."_ that phrase kept echoing in her mind. Indeed, accepting this offer would give her the closest thing to what she would call a `family'. Her mind was suddenly filled with the dream she had had that morning, which re-awakened unpleasant memories. No need to repeat anything like that. _I will try to become one of these people,_ she decided. That settled, she turned her head to the side, closed her eyes and eventually drifted into a light sleep... 

* * *


	5. Chapter 5: Old Deutoronomy

Animal Instincts, Chapter 5 

Chapter 5:Old Deutoronomy 

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Rubena's eyes fluttered open. It was morning - she had actually managed to sleep through the night. The tigress yawned and turned over to one side, which immediately caused her bruised and battered body to protest loudly. Ignoring the stiffness and soreness which had resulted from her recent ordeal, Rubena really looked around the den which accommodated her for the first time. However, before she could do a lot of looking, her eyes met with those of an unfamiliar, and obviously very old cat. 

The corners of the visitor's eyes crinkled in a warm and friendly smile. 

"You have slept for a long time, my child," the elderly visitor informed her. 

Rubena still tried to blink away the sleep in her eyes. Then she looked up at the stranger in confusion. 

"Yeah, you can say that again," she said slowly and carefully while looking the other cat over. "But why are you calling me `your child'? I do not believe we have met." 

Another warm smile spread over the old cat's face . 

"It is simply a figure of speech, young one," he explained in an amused voice. "I hear you have been given the choice to join my tribe." 

Rubena's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Does that mean _you're_ the Jellicle leader? Old Butoronomy?" 

The Jellicle leader chuckled. 

"Indeed, I am the Jellicle leader, though I usually go by the name of _Deutoronomy_." 

The younger cat's embarrassment was evident. 

"Um," she started, trying not to babble in confusion. "I heard of something called `The Challenge'. Could you explain this to me?" 

The ancient Jellicle leader leaned back comfortably. 

"Does this mean that you want to undergo The Challenge and become a Jellicle?" 

Rubena hesitated and fidgeted for a moment before answering. 

"Well, uh, I intended to," she mumbled. 

A smile tugged at the Jellicle leader's wrinkled mouth. 

"All right then. The Challenge is simple enough. A task is set for you specifically to test any particular talent you might have - be it speed and agility, brute strength or any kind of magical power... you name it. You also get to choose which one of your talents should be tested. However, the task itself is selected by us elders." 

A brief silence followed. 

"You need not decide which of your talents should be tested immediately," he informed her, stood up with a groan, and left the den. 

Rubena let this new information go through her head. This didn't seem so bad... 

Suddenly, Jellylorum came bustling in, interrupting Rubena's thoughts. The healer cat beamed at her patient - apparently she had heard the news from Old Deutoronomy. 

"And how are we feeling today?" Jelly wheedled, obviously in the best of moods. Not waiting for any reply, she started to unwrap Rubena's bandages and to study her wounds. This gave the tigress an opportunity to get a better idea of how badlyh she was really injured - in the end, she wished she hadn't known. Still, she was feeling extremely restless... 

"Uh, excuse me...?" 

Jelly looked up from re-bandaging her patient. 

"Um, how long do I actually have to stay in here...?" 

Jelly shrugged. 

"Theoretically you could try to get up now - your legs didn't take much damage, thank Heaviside. Be warned though, you did pull a muscle in your right thigh, and I believe you have received a slight concussion. You definitely shouldn't try to move around much without someone to support you." 

Rubena tried to sit up as carefully as possible - it took a surprising amount of effort. Still, with Jellylorum's support, she managed to stand up, though her right thigh couldn't take much weight. After a few shaky steps, she had reached the entrance of the den and glimpsed the first bit of sunlight in three days. Noticing the mild weather, Jelly left the tigress to sit at the exact same spot next to the spring where Alyzria had been only three days ago. 

The tiger-cat leaned against the wall behind her, letting the sun shine on her face. She tried to ignore the fact that her new bandages were itching. 

After a few minutes, a group of Jellicles purposely strode towards the den - Rubena recognised one of the as Alyzria, and the other three seemed familiar: One of them, a slim, but curvy female with reddish tabby fur looked at her intently. The other two, a male and a female, looked just as interested. 

Alyzria covered the last bit of distance in a slow jog. She beamed at the tigress. 

"You're looking a _lot_ better," she observed. 

Rubena grinned. 

"I aughta be, it's been three days. And anyway, I'm still a mess. It's gonna be a looong time 'till I'm back in peak condition." 

During this short conversation, the other three cats were eyeing Rubena a little critically - so this cat was going to join the Jellicle tribe. The black female came towards her with an uncertain smile. 

"We heard from Old Deutoronomy that you will face The Challenge", she blurted out. 

"I do intend to. I don't know what I've got to do yet, though." 

Alyzria grinned. 

"It's not so bad. I had to face The Challenge a few years ago - my task was to wreak some havok on a family of humans. I've got a little bit of control over the weather, so I made it rain through their leaky roof in the middle of the night. When they woke up and got out of bed, they found themselves with wet feet." 

The others chuckled at the memory of the incident. None of them had known a human to swear so loudly! 

"What about fire magic?" Rubena asked hopefully. 

The four Jellicles looked at her in surprise. So, this cat did have some magic. Alyzria was the first to start talking again. 

"Well, if it's going to be used for mischief, you could send a firebolt through a window and disintegrate a human's fancy dinner or whatever." 

She grinned again. 

"Don't worry, they'll find something interesting for you to do." 

* * *


	6. Chapter 6: Initiation

Animal Instincts, Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Initiation 

* * *

Rubena wiped her sweating palms on her thighs. The time when she had to face The Challenge had arrived. The Jellicle tribe's elders had heard of her request to be tested on fire magic, and had come up with a suitable test: speed and accuracy. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, two cats notorious for their "'orrible deids", had looted a human toy store of all its toy aeroplane propellors for the occasion. 

The tigress forced herself to breathe more slowly. This was no time to lose her head. She could practically feel the adrenaline flooding her system, making her super-alert. The propellors which had been stolen from the toy store were to be thrown through the air like boomerangs - Rubena had to hit each and every one with a small firebolt. She would also have to conserve her energy, since she was nowhere near fully recovered. She could barely stand properly, and endurance was a fairly important part of the test. 

Rubena's eyes rested on Jennyanydots, who would throw the propellors any second from now. The adrenaline-flooded queen began to focus on a tiny little ball of yellow-orange fire in her mind. Slowly, a small wisp of a flame appeared between her thumb and index finger. She was ready to fire it at the slightest movement of the propellor in the Gumbie cat's hand. 

There! The yellow piece of plastic flew towards her like a tiny frisbee. Not wasting any time, Rubena threw the coil of fire straight into the propellor's trajectory. The little toy didn't even have a chance to be knocked off course - it was instantly devoured by the tiny flame, leaving behind only an unpleasant smell. 

The tigress heard a small cheer behind her, but didn't dare to look who it came from. Already another tuft of fire had appeared between her fingers. Immediately, a second disk of plastic flew towards her. Rubena hurled her second flame at it, which incinerated the toy. 

Suddenly, Jennyanydots hurled three propellors at once. Rubena desperately conjured three flaming coils and threw them at the flying objects - the last one was hit just in time before it would have collided with her. Now the tigress was sweating heavily. She had to think of something fast! There was no way she could hit more than four disks with the technique she had been using! Jenny was already getting ready to toss a set of five more propellors. 

Rubena's brows knitted together in a scowl as a small flaming discus appeared an inch over her palm. _Please let this work,_ she prayed. The flaming weapon was humming next to her ear, waiting to be thrown. There they went! The five propellors were airborne. Sending another silent prayer to any helpful entity which might be listening, the tigress let her discus fly. The thin slice of fire seared through its first target before homing in on the second one. A trickle of sweat threatened to run into Rubena's eyes as she willed her weapon to move faster. Her concentration was rewarded by the sound of the five propellors hitting the ground, each one of the neatly seared in half. The discus came to rest above her thumb and index finger once more. 

The tigress didn't hear the appreciative mutters going through the small crowd behind her. Already the next set of targets was flying through the air. She sent her new tool flying again, slicing the pieces of plastic in half for a second time. 

More flurries of targets where thrown at the tired feline, slowly wearing her out. She didn't know how much longer she could last! She peered at Jennyanydots and realised in shock that the Gumbie cat was getting ready to throw the whole remainder of the propellors which were still whole - about twenty or so, Rubena guessed. _That's it,_ she thought. _Desperate times call for desperate measures!_

Rubena poured all the power she had left into a set of four disks of fire. Her short fur was already soaked in more sweat than she had ever thought she could produce in one go; her left knee buckled under her as a reminder that her pulled muscle hadn't healed up yet. Her eyes were stinging with sweat she didn't dare to wipe away, making it hard to focus them properly. The twenty or so propellors flew towards her at an incredible speed - she briefly berated herself for even considering such a test before sending her four flaming disks on their way. Her eyes unable to see through the curtain of liquid running into them, she breathlessly counted the thuds on the ground as the halved propellors hit the floor - eighteen, nineteen... silence. The last pair of plastic halves didn't fall to the ground! Rubena braced herself for the last propellor which was bound to hit any split second now... it never came. Instead, her ears were filled with the cheering of thirty or so cats. Confused, she blinked the sweat out of her eyes before opening them. Just in front of her lay two damaged, but still whole, plastic toys. The disks of fire hadn't managed to slice those two in half before burning up. 

The tigress looked up as a group of three cats - Jellylorum, Alyzria, and, most surprisingly, Old Deutoronomy, rushed towards her. The healer and the Siamese beamed at her while the Jellicle leader chose a more mature smile as Rubena was practically carted away from the spot where she had collapsed fron exhaustion and dumped onto a reasonably soft patch of grass before finding herself thoroughly dried off. 

"That was great!" 

Alyzria could hardly contain her glee. Rubena, however, really just wanted to lie down and never get up again. Still, Alyzria managed to chase those fantasies away. 

"Come on," she urged, pulling the tigress to her feet. "It's nearly dawn, you've still got to be officially made a Jellicle!" 

Rubena found herself half-steered, half-carried in front of the Jellicle leader. She barely heard him chant whatever he was chanting while smearing a red line of clay-like paint on her face to emphasise the tiger-stripes which went along her cheekbones. 

She could dimly remember being steered through the cheering Jellicle crowd before being lowered back onto the pile of rags which had served her as a bed since her arrival in Jellylorum's den. 

_I could learn to hate that old pile,_ she thought grumpily as she drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep. 

* * *


	7. Chapter 7: Celebrations

Animal Instincts, Chapter 7 

Chapter 7: Celebrations 

* * *

Munkustrap felt extremely relieved as he watched the celebrations continue, though the exhausted Rubena had returned to Jellylorum's den to rest. It had been his first recommendation for a new cat to the tribe. Success for Rubena also meant success for him. If she had failed, the tribe would have looked upon him as a failure for not choosing a worthy cat. 

"Well, she passed. I didn't fail," he said to himself with satisfaction. 

A blur of short-haired black fur bowled him over and kissed him on the cheek. 

"She did it she did it she did it!!!" squealed Alyzria in delight, hugging him. 

"Yes, she did, and you're squashing me, little kit," he laughed as he pushed her off. 

The usually neat tabby had fur rumpled up and sticking out all over the place. Alyzria grinned good-naturedly and helped to pull him back onto his feet. 

"Mistoffelees! Over here!" shouted the still elated Alyzria, waving to the tuxedo cat who was quietly grooming his fur in a corner. 

Mistoffelees looked up, shook his head, smiled and wandered over. 

"Now, just to warn you, Alyzria, _don't_ pounce me," said Mistoffelees, feigning sternness in his tone. 

Alyzria shrugged. 

"Okay." 

Mistoffelees grinned devilishly. 

"Because I'm gonna pounce _you_!" 

Alyzria screeched and darted off, but Mistoffelees's flexibility, dancing technique and good gymnastic skills made it easy for him to cut in front of her and pounce the giggling feline. 

Alyzria wasn't completely helpless though. A tiny smile was on her face as she carefully conjured a handful of a snow. Mistoffelees continued to sit on her, and his fur was tickling her nose. Alyzria suddenly pressed the snow against Mistoffelees's chest. 

"Aiieee! Zria, no fair!" cried Mistoffelees, jumping up and wiping the cold snow off his white chest. 

"All's fair in pounce and war," she said, smiling contrarily. 

"When you two have quite finished," said Munkustrap sternly, though a twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings. 

"Aww, c'mon Munkus, loosen up a little!" said Mistoffelees imploringly. 

Munkustrap grinned, and tried to look pompous. 

"Magical Mister Mistoffelees! Alyzria! What do you two think you're doing?" he asked in a slightly deeper voice than his own and tried not to laugh. 

Mistoffelees said squeakily, "We're very sorry Mister Munkustrap sir and we'll never do it again." 

Alyzria did a silly curtsey and fell flat on her face. Mistoffelees hauled her back on to her feet. 

"You guys are weird," said Rubena, who had re-emerged from Jellylorum's den and was now limping towards them. Alyzria turned to see who the newcomer was and giggled. 

"Myself and Mistoffelees? Surely you jest!" 

Rubena noticed the tuxedo and smirked a little. "And how are you, Magical Mister Beverage cat? Feeling a little _juicy_?" 

Mistoffelees flamed, and glared at her. "Are you still harping on about that?" he demanded in annoyance. 

Rubena just grinned again. "Careful there, if you go too red, you'll evaporate." 

"Munkuuus! Why did you let that obnoxious creation join our tribe?" he whined, gesturing to the still smirking Rubena. 

"Quit it!" said Alyzria, laughing inwardly at how well Rubena managed to stir up the magic cat. 

Mistoffelees scowled at the tigress, but an idea began to form in his head. 

"Ribena," he said politely, deliberately saying her name incorrectly. "Were you told some of the other criteria for the Jellicle Tribe?" 

Rubena briefly glared at him, then frowned in confusion. 

"What do you mean?" 

Mistoffelees smiled. "Well, can you dance?" 

The tigress blanched. "Pardon?" 

"Can you _dance_?" 

"Uh, well. Um, let's see. Uh - no, I don't believe - tell you what, let's go and get some food!" she finished brightly. Mistoffelees waggled a finger at her. 

"Uh-uh, you don't get out of it that easily!" he said, an evil look upon his face. 

Rubena yelped as he dragged her out in a clear spot in the Junkyard. 

"Now, feast your eyes upon the king of the dance floor!" he said, striking a pose. 

He went through his most intricate dance routine, finishing in a triple flip combination. 

"Show off," muttered Rubena. 

Alyzria and Munkustrap were watching this scene with great interest. Rubena gave them her best `Get me out of here!' look. 

"It's your turn!" called Alyzria. 

"I'm injured!" she implored. 

"Not too injured to do some basic dance," Mistoffelees retorted. He grabbed her paws and got into a basic waltz position. 

"Now one, two, three, one, two, three..." 

"Get off, you idiot!" said Rubena. 

Being about a head taller than him, it was easy to pick him up by the bow-tie and glare at him right in the eye. 

"Don't. You. _Dare_," she spluttered angrily. 

Mistoffelees smiled sweetly. 

"Will you consider putting me down, my lady?" he inquired. 

Rubena grinned mischievously, seeing once again a chance to somewhat embarrass the tuxedo cat. 

"How about... _no_?" 

Misto looked at her in surprise, then suddenly disappeared out of Rubena's grip, only to reappear behind her. Rubena blinked, then put her foot behind her head in a mock-sulky gesture. 

"That good enough for you?" Rubena taunted, daring the magic cat to say no. 

Mistoffelees ducked past and surveyed her appraisingly. 

"It'll do for today," he said loftily, trying to hide the fact that he was impressed. 

The tigress untwisted herself, a tiny smile playing her lips. 

"I can't dance," she admitted. "But I am able to do gymnastics." 

Mistoffelees raised one skeptical eyebrow. He waved an arm out, gesturing to the entire Junkyard. 

"Show me." 

Rubena sighed heavily. 

"If I must." 

She jogged a few laps around the 'yard, to warm up and use muscles that had been rested for some time. Mistoffelees sniggered almost inaudibly. _This_ was what Rubena called gymnastics? He carefully studied his right paw and began to groom it meticulously. 

Rubena suddenly flung herself high into the air and did a double twist, landed perfectly and barely a split second later, launched herself into a cartwheel and landed in the splits. 

Mistoffelees blinked. Rubena walked towards him, brushing herself off and wincing slightly, as her right leg had not completely healed yet, and did not take well to cartwheels. 

"Howzat?" she asked, grinning slightly. Fear of being rejected, though, could be seen in her clouded amber eyes. 

Mistoffelees swallowed his pride. 

"That was great. You're really good," he blurted. 

Rubena knew the magic cat was proud of his ability, and she knew it was hard for him to say the words. 

"Thanks. I really appreciate it," she replied. "But at this point in time, I am starving!" 

"Then I believe we have the answer," remarked a misty voice. 

Two identical twin tabbies, a male and female, and the same curvy ginger tabby she had seen before her task had started strode toward her, along with another pair of calicos that she didn't recognize. 

The twin tabbies identified themselves as Tantomile and Coricopat. They were each clutching a rat in each paw. 

"I'm Bombalurina," the ginger tabby said in a low, sultry voice. 

"Mungojerrie an' Rumpleteaza atcha service," said the male calico in a thick Cockney accent. His partner giggled. 

Rubena eyed the quintet with interest. 

"What's in the sacks?" she asked curiously, referring to the bulging sack each calico had slung over their shoulder. 

"Well-" began Rumpleteazer. Mungojerrie cuffed her playfully. 

"'Ey now 'teaza, we canna be givin' away all our trade secrets!" 

Rubena raised an eyebrow. "Trade secrets? What sort of trade are you in?" 

"Well," said Mungojerrie, clearing his throat. "We are, to put it in a word -" 

"Mungo?" said Munkustrap warningly. "Don't go flaunting your reputation. It's _not_ something to be proud of." 

Mungojerrie pretended not hear him. 

"The Jellicle Junkyard is proud to present -" 

"Oh no it's not," muttered Munkustrap, though no one heard him. 

"The resident Junkyard THIEVES!" said Mungojerrie with satisfaction. 

"Cat burglars," interrupted Rumpleteazer. 

"Comedians, acrobats -" 

"Basically, trouble-makers." 

Munkustrap had his head in his hands. 

"And in the sacks is tonight's spoils!" 

Each calico emptied their sack with a flourish, and bowed. 

"Whiskas!" 

Rubena's wide-eyed look was the best compliment she could have given the two trouble-makers. However, her under-nourished condition succeeded in making her turn her attention to the two fat rats the twins held, and even the calicos had to agree that at this point, sustaining their physical forms with some food was more important than goggling at top-secret bags of loot. 

* * *

Chapter 8


	8. Chapter 8: Trouble's Brewing

Animal Instincts, Chapter 8 

Chapter 8: Trouble's brewing 

* * *

Macavity was sprawled across his throne, idly chewing the ribcage of an old rat's skeleton. He had just devoured a rather large meal and had no intention of moving. He broke one of the sharp ribs off the bone structure and proceeded to use it as a toothpick. 

Suddenly, the silence of his den was broken by several sets of running feet. A wiry black cat with bristly whiskers stopped in front of Macavity, panting heavily. 

"Master... I... I couldn't stop he-" 

His words were cut short as an ugly black arrow tip suddenly protruded from under his collarbone. Macavity sighed in annoyance. Just when he was going to have a rest to sleep off all those calories! He reluctantly got off his throne and readied himself for a possible attack coming from whoever had shot that arrow. 

He didn't have to wait long. A slim and wiry silhouette stood framed in the passageway the guard who had just met his demise had come from. 

Macavity sighed again. This was the last feline he had any wish to see. 

"So, we meet again," he greeted the newcomer. 

The silhouette stepped into the light, revealing herself to be a rather wiry tigress. Her amber eyes burned straight into Macavity's ice-blue ones. 

"It's been a while. The years haven't made any difference to your appearance though," the tigress said in a slightly mocking voice. 

She continued to eye him critically. 

"When was the last time you combed your fur?" she demanded. 

"I didn't ask for a nanny," he retorted hotly. "And what did you expect, a haggard old crone with missing teeth and his fur falling out? I'd never do you that kind of favour!" 

The tiger queen slowly moved towards him, stepped over the fallen guard and pried Macavity's jaw open. She traced her index finger over his molars. "I did expect missing teeth," she admitted. 

"I've been ransacking human houses too much, and found a tube of toothpaste," he explained. 

"Makes your teeth clean and white!" she taunted in a fake television commercial voice. 

Macavity ran the tip of his finger over the scar across her left eye, claws retracted. 

"I see you still have that little souvenir I gave you," he observed. 

"It's not going anywhere," she replied sourly. "However, I have been causing certain people to acquire new scars," she continued with a wolfish grin. 

Macavity returned her grin. He unsheathed the claw on his left index finger as if he were about to lecture her on bad behaviour. Instead, he traced the contours of her face with it. 

"Someone's been straining family relationships," he accused. "How did your sweet twin take it?" 

The queen's grin turned into a snarl, and Macavity wondered if he had just made a serious mistake. However, instead of assaulting him in any fashion, the tigress turned around to reveal a back which was covered in new scars, each in unmistakable sets of two. Macavity studied them with admiration. 

"That girl has learnt some new tricks - but you must have been busy too. That had to be hard to survive." 

The tigress turned to face him again. 

"You'd be surprised what a nearby healer and a desire for revenge can do." 

"Is that why you're here?" 

"I wouldn't be the only one with new alliances." 

"What is it to me?" 

The tigress flashed her roguish grin again. 

"My charming twin's new friends include a few ladies you know quite well," she teased. Then, in a higher voice, and as if in shock, she squeaked, "Macavity!" 

Macavity sneered. 

"That queen really gets up my nose. If it weren't for the challenge, I wouldn't even bother about her." 

"Is it settled then?" 

Macavity considered for a while. Then took the tigress's hand and kissed it. 

"I will accompany you... but for my own reasons." 

* * *

Chapter 9


	9. Chapter 9: Training Hours

Animal Instincts, Chapter 9 Chapter 9: Training Hours 

* * *

Alyzria, Rubena and Mistoffelees sat on a pile of old car tyres and waited for the sun to set. Even though the spectacular display of colours didn't really mix with the scenery of the junkyard, they still enjoyed it. 

After the last rays of blood-red sunlight had disappeared behind the vicarage wall, the first few bats began to flutter about and attend to their night's business, which seemed to include briefly landing on Misto's head and yanking out bits of fur, much to the black cat's irritation. 

Suddenly, Mistoffelees sniffed the air curiously. 

"Someone's got bat breath," he commented. 

His suspicious stare landed on Rubena. The tell-tale bit of leathery wing was hanging from her mouth. 

"What makes you say that?" she asked through her mouthful of bat in as innocent a manner as possible. 

Alyzria fought to keep herself from laughing out loud at Misto's disgusted look as Rubena casually swallowed the bat wing. 

"Excellent texture, Misto, you should try it," Rubena said with an evil grin. 

The magic cat's face turned a pale, but definite, green. Rubena was already reaching out into the air for any other unsuspecting nocturnal pilot. 

"The day I eat bats is the day you can dance," Mistoffelees said through clenched teeth, trying to force his unhappy stomach into holding down his lunch. 

Rubena looked at him in bewilderment. 

"You know, bats really are a rare delicacy." 

Mistoffelees chose that moment to take his leave. 

"I shall see you all in the morning," he said primly and stood up. 

As Misto walked away, Rubena called after him cheekily. 

"Do you like bat _juice_?" 

That question earned her a glare from the jet black cat. 

Alyzria chuckled. She could tell that Rubena and Mistoffelees liked each other and would probably be the best of friends once they got over their bickering ways. Then she remembered something. 

"Do you intend to do any training with those swords you've got?" 

Rubena was startled. She had actually forgotten about them in the last few days. It had been so peaceful... 

"I guess so," she conceded. "I really am starting to get out of shape. 

She eyed the new scar which ran down her torso ruefully. Alyzria's curiosity was piqued. 

"Could you show me some moves?" 

Rubena cocked her head and studied the Siamese intently. So this was the direction those questions were headed into! Well, there wasn't really any harm in it, quite on the contrary... 

"If you really want to..." 

The happy grin on Alyzria's face told her more that any verbal answer could have done. 

* * *

The next morning, Alyzria found herself roused by a very business-like Rubena. 

"You wanna learn, you've gotta get up early." 

Alyzria grumbled and rubbed her eyes. She rarely slept in - her biological clock stopped her from doing so. It was only the late night which had caught her off-guard. Rubena had already left the den, scimitars in hand. Alyzria quickly got up and followed her. She just briefly stooped down to grab something which had been lying next to her basket. 

She found Rubena a little way away from the den, doing various stretching exercises and occasionally wincing as long unused muscles complained. Alyzia decided to just follow, since the exercises were fairly basic and she was familiar with most of them. Once they had finished, Rubena briefly clenched and unclenched her fists, causing her knuckles to crack like firecrackers on New Year's eve. 

"What's that?" 

Rubena pointed at a small item next to Alyzria's feet. The Siamese handed it to her - it turned out to be a sheathed dagger. The tigress unsheathed it and noted the intricate design carved into the slightly curved blade. The hilt was embedded with small bits of Lapis Lazuli - the mark of the Siamese, Rubena realised. The tigress cocked a quizzical eyebrow at her friend. 

"Old Deutoronomy gave it to me a long time ago," Alyzria explained. "He just said that it belonged to me." 

Rubena shrugged and handed it back. She briefly wondered what the Jellicle leader knew which she didn't, but pushed that thought to the back of her mind. 

"Do you know how to use it?" she asked the Siamese. 

Alyzria shook her head. 

"That's the reason I thought you could help," she admitted. 

"Well, that's easy enough," the tigress said. 

She immediately started to take the Siamese through various stabbing motions. 

* * *

Two hours later, a tired and sweating Alyzria watched Rubena go through various routines using her scimitars which grew more intricate as she went along. By now, most Jellicles were well and truly awake. 

Tantomile and Coricopat sat down next to Alyzria, waiting for the tigress to finish. By the time she did, Rubena had exhausted herself and was gasping for breath. _I'll never learn to go easy when I'm out of shape,_ she berated herself as she walked towards the trio. 

"Remind me not to make you mad," Coricopat commented. 

Rubena took a handful of water from an old nearby fountain and poured it all over her head. The effect it had on her usually owl-like hair was rather strange, causing Alyzria and Tantomile to giggle. 

"You do not have to worry about making me angry when I'm in this condition," Rubena told the black, white and silver tabby. 

"How long have you been at it?" Tantomile asked her. 

"Uh..." Rubena looked stumped. She gave Alyzria a questioning look. 

The Siamese grinned. She never would have lost track of time in that sort of training. 

"It's been over two hours," she informed her tired friend. "Did it occur to you that exhausting yourself like that is a bad idea?" 

A slightly embarrassed grin appeared on the tigress's lips. 

"Don't think that I haven't kicked myself about it." 

The twins chuckled. It appeared that the new member of their tribe had slightly hair-brained tendencies. Or maybe she just enjoyed exhausting herself. She _had_ done so twice in a row already. 

"We ran into Mistoffelees last night," said Coricopat. "Apparently he doesn't approve of your eating habits." A twinkle in his eyes betrayed his amusement. 

"I don't see what your problem with bats is," Rubena sniffed. "They're just rats with wings and no tails." 

Tantomile couldn't hide her grin. 

"I hear their brains have a unique flavour," she teased. 

"See, your sister knows what she's talking about," Rubena told Coricopat indignantly. 

Tantomile's twin chuckled his amusement. Mistoffelees certainly didn't share Rubena's views. 

"Well, I'm getting something to eat," Alyzria said. "I probably won't find any bats at this time of the day, but I'll see what I can do." 

She winked at Rubena and strolled off. 

"I think I'll find some sort of vaguely organic material to sustain us until lunchtime, myself," Tantomile decided and also walked off, leaving her twin alone with the fatigued tigress. 

"What's so unique about bat brains?" Coricopat asked curiously. He had heard of sheep brains being a popular ingredient in the meals of wealthy humans, but never of anything which remotely resembled a bat. 

Rubena immediately explained about the way their hearing was structured, claiming to be able to taste a bat's ability of echolocation. By the time Tantomile returned, their conversation had moved onto subjects such as the influence genes had on the colour of a cat's fur. 

Tantomile, who got a brief explanation about the bat brain, rolled her eyes in exasperation. Her twin was quite vulnerable to detailed explanations about obscure things. 

"Maybe you should explain all this to Misto," she suggested. 

Rubena grinned wickedly. 

"I've got a better idea: I'm going to learn how to dance properly." 

The twins looked at her in confusion. 

"He said that the day he eats bats is the day I can dance," she explained shrewdly. 

At that, the twins broke into laughter. They certainly didn't want to miss that event. 

"We'll teach you what we know," Coricopat promised. "Misto might smell a rat and refuse his services as a dance instuctor." 

That decided, the twins took the tigress through their basic dance routines, barely able to contain their glee. 

* * *

Chapter 10


	10. Chapter 10: Me, Myself, and Macavity

Animal Instincts, Chapter 10 Chapter 10: Me, Myself, and Macavity 

* * *

"Hey, look, that one's a real beauty!" 

Rubena pointed to a bright comet which shot across the night sky. Alyzria agreed. The two cats were sitting on the vicarage wall, watching for shooting stars and talking - this activity had become a nightly ritual for them. Also, that particular night was lit by a full moon, making both of them restless. 

"I wonder what Old Deutoronomy knows about that dagger of yours," Rubena suddenly said into the silence. 

Alyzria shrugged. 

"I figured he'd tell me sooner or later. He usually has a good reason for the things he does." 

Rubena started tugging at her lower lip. Alyzria knew that particular gesture quite well: her friend was thinking about something she didn't really want to talk about, so she kept silent. 

"Well, I guess we should be getting some sleep," the tigress said finally. "We don't want to turn completely nocturnal." 

* * *

Alyzria stood opposite the tigress, sweating heavily. They both held a long, curved knife - according to Rubena, it was a good idea to learn the use of as many different weapons as possible. They slowly circled each other, watching for the twitch of a muscle which would betray their opponent's next movement. Alyzria couldn't help but notice the reckless grin which had replaced the almost serene one Rubena usually wore. _She really enjoys a fight,_ Alyzria thought to herself as she rapidly blocked a strike aimed at her side. Seeing an opening, she quickly let her own blade snake up to the side of the tigress's throat and froze in place. 

"Good job," Rubena said with a smile. "You really caught me off-guard there." 

Alyzria returned the smile and handed the scimitar to her friend, who sheathed both weapons. 

"Nice work, ladies," a masculine voice said behind them. 

Both felines turned around and caught sight of Munkustrap and a rather good-looking tomcat with a long, but well-groomed mane. The tom was clapping. Alyzria ignored him. 

"Good morning, Munkus," she greeted the leader's son, obviously to the other tom's annoyance. 

Rubena decided to give him the little bit of attention the maned cat so obviously craved. 

"And you are...?" 

"That's Tugger," Alyzria said. "Just ignore him, his female fanclub is big enough as it is." 

Rum Tum Tugger glared at the Siamese, then gallantly bowed to Rubena. 

"I am afraid your black friend is not ladylike enough to recognise my charming personality," he said as he took the tigress's hand. 

Alyzria stuck her tongue out at Tugger, then realised with horror that her striped companion did look rather charmed. As she watched, Rubena let the handsome snob kiss her hand. 

"I am sorry to admit that I'm not particularly ladylike, myself," the tigress said pleasantly. 

"I am willing to forgive such minor flaws," Tugger answered with his winner's smile. 

Alyzria felt extremely depressed. She didn't like the prospect of her friend swooning over Munkustrap's conceited brother. 

Suddenly, Tugger flew right over Rubena's shoulder and landed on his back, only to be pinned to the floor by the tigress's callused foot. 

"Yeah, if you weren't so modest you'd be perfect," Rubena said sweetly as she let Tugger up, causing Alyzria and Muskustrap to burst out laughing. 

Tugger was grooming his now dusty mane in a rather sulky manner as Demeter sauntered over, obviously ready to salve Tugger's wounded pride. Now Rubena realised what Alyzria had meant by "fanclub". 

"That girl is a beast," Tugger complained to Demeter, who was obviously too preoccupied with Tugger's appearance to really listen. 

"Who, me?" the tigress asked innocently. 

"Yeah, y-" Tugger's words were cut short as he looked up at the striped, terracotta-coloured queen in front of him. 

Tugger's face contorted in shock and was mirrored by every cat present except for the queen in front of him. The cat in question ignored the reaction she had prompted and turned towards Rubena, whose shocked expression was just being replaced by a snarl. 

"It's been a moderately long time," the queen who appeared to be a mirror image of Rubena said in a mocking voice. 

"Not long enough," Rubena spat. 

The reddish tigress grinned and gestured towards the long scar which ran from Rubena's right collarbone to her left hip. 

"Dear me, did _I_ do that?" 

Rubena was simmering with anger. 

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Rubena's "mirror image" continued. 

Suddenly, Rubena realised that the other cats present were probably indeed waiting for an explanation. She took a deep breath to steady herself. 

"Munkus, Alyzria, Tugger, Demeter, this is my evil clone, Callisto, and also the reason why I was such a mess when I first arrived here." 

Callisto held up her index finger with disapproval. 

"Now, now, sisters shouldn't be calling each other evil." 

"Sister my foot! You've got less family spirit that a hermit!" 

"My heart bleeds skimmed milk," Callisto taunted. 

During this short conversation, Alyzria finally found her tongue. 

"You've got a twin sister?" she croaked in disbelief. 

"Oh, clever girl," Callisto said in a fake ditzy manner and clapped enthusiastically. 

Alyzria decided to ignore Rubena's obnoxious twin. Instead, she focused on her friend, who had already assumed a fighting stance. 

"Did you intend to tell me?" the Siamese asked. 

Before Rubena could answer, another taunting voice, this one male, caught her attention. 

"Ooh, a friendship on the line, ready to shatter against the rocks! How absolutely delightful!" 

Demeter's head whipped around to look at the dusty-coated ginger cat. 

"Macavity!" she whispered in shock before darting over to Munkustrap and hiding behind his back. 

"Macavity!" the ginger mocked and swung his hips, ignoring the fact that he was being glared at by both of the tiger-striped queens. 

"Whaddaya want, Scruffy?" Tugger drawled at him. "Thinkin' of kidnappin' Grampa again?" 

"Yeah," Demeter piped up from behind Munkustrap's back. "That trick was real lame!" 

Macavity casually moved towards Demeter and Munkustrap with a smirk. 

"Fiery as usual, I see," he commented and shoved Munkus aside before running the backs of his black claws over the queen's throat. 

"Aren't you going to give me a little welcoming kiss?" 

He was already holding the terrified queen by her upper arms, a wolfish grin on his face. 

Suddenly, an intricately carved dagger with a lapis lazuli-studded hilt pressed against Macavity's throat, and a pair of furious blue eyes set in a face covered in grey fur appeared over the shaggy ginger's shoulder. 

"Let. Her. Go." 

Alyzria's order was unnecessary. Demeter had instantly seized the chance to disentangle herself from Macavity's grip. The dagger moved away from the ginger's throat, ready to be used in a quick attack in case Macavity decided to unsheathe his razor-sharp claws. 

Rubena looked at her twin. 

"The company you've been keeping lately appears to be rather obnoxious," she observed. 

Macavity leered at her. "Don't try to flatter me." 

Rubena's attention was still fixed on Callisto. 

"So,`sister', how can I be of assistance to you?" she asked in an oily and fakely sweet voice, scimitars in hand. 

Callisto leaned on a pile of tyres. 

"Oh, nothing so far. I just thought I'd drop by as a small prelude to terror." Her frequently used roguish grin crossed her features. "I simply couldn't _bear_ the thought of you sleeping peacefully while _I'm_ plotting to cause some havok." 

"It's not gonna come to that!" 

With that, Rubena lunged for her twin, scimitars singing through the air. However, Callisto had chosen that moment to de-materialise and to take her scruffy partner with her. Rubena sneered at the patch of air which had accommodated the terracotta queen just a second earlier. 

Someone placed a white-furred hand on the tigress's shoulder, prompting her to turn around. The hand's owner was Alyzria, who looked as if she were trying to make up her mind if she should be confused, or if she should be feeling any other unpleasant emotion. 

"Could you explain this to me, please?" 

Rubena nodded, then let out a sigh. This had been too good to last! 

"Let's go find the twins and Old Deutoronomy. I don't want to have to tell this story more than once." 

Surprisingly enough, Tugger was the one to lighten up the general mood. 

"I take back that earlier remark. You're not a beast, your twin is." He shuddered. "I'd hate to think what she'd do to me apart from that fancy shoulder flip..." 

* * *

Chapter 11


	11. Chapter 11: Calico Confusion

Animal Instincts, Chapter 11 

Chapter 11: Calico Confusion 

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain pair of calicos were quietly going about their business. 

"Heeheehee!" giggled a distinctly female voice. 

"SSHHH!" responded her partner in an annoyed hiss. 

"Sorry," was the whispered apology. 

The two crept along the linoleum of the kitchen of Victoria Grove, their human's house. Ever so gently, the male eased open the pantry door. His ears were pricked, alert for any trace of the slightest sound. 

_ Eeeeek!_

A faint squeak ensued from the door. The duo waited with bated breath, but no thundering feet were heard. They squeezed themselves through the opening and clambered onto the bottom shelf. 

"Here's some corned beef - mmm, how 'bout some chocolate biscuits? Perhaps some - OH NO!" 

The male calico grabbed his stash, the female grabbed any old tin, shot out the pantry door and skidded across the linoleum. 

**"HORRIBLE CATS!"**

A large female, the household cook, brandished a broom at the pair's retreating backs. 

When they were a safe distance from the angry cook, the duo sat down in an unused old drainpipe to examine their finds. 

"I managed to grab the corned beef, but I dropped the chocolate biscuits," said Mungojerrie resentfully. 

"Well I managed to grab - " Rumpleteazer examined her tin. "Beetroot. D'you know what that is?" 

"No idea," said Mungojerrie. "Maybe Old Deuteronomy will know." 

Rumpleteazer looked up and almost screamed. She scrambled further back into the drainpipe. 

"Macavity," she whispered, barely daring to breathe as the wiry ginger tom walked past their hiding place. 

"And - _Rubena?_" said Mungojerrie in confusion. He wrinkled his forehead in thought. "We'd best get back to the Junkyard and let Old Deuteronomy know about this," he said decisively. 

* * *

Rubena had postponed her excursion to see Old Deuteronomy, in favour of more dance lessons, this time from - of all cats - Rum Tum Tugger. 

"Okay, now paws out at a ninety degree angle - good! Now wiggle the hips and head like this. No, more. Much better," Tugger complemented the swaying Rubena. 

"I feel pretty silly," she admitted, wiping sweaty palms on her thighs. The tired tigress jogged over to the spring for a drink. 

"You don't look silly," he assured her. "You look like a Jellicle." 

Rubena smiled happily at him. She went through the latest dance she'd learnt, the Jellicle Ball sequence. 

"Excellent! You're coming along nicely." Rubena's head whipped around, to see Coricopat, Alyzria and Munkustrap walking towards her. 

Tugger observed the sky overhead. 

"Gotta go, I've got a date with Demi," he said, winking at them as he rushed off. 

Munkustrap rolled his eyes. "Only Tugger," he sighed, watching the retreating tom wrap a muscled arm around the smitten Demeter. 

Coricopat had a sudden thought. 

"Rubena, you haven't seen The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball, have you?" 

The tigress shook her head in bewilderment. 

"It's the dance that opens the ball. Mistoffelees and Victoria perform it usually, but Victoria isn't here." 

"Does it have to be a male and female dancer?" Rubena asked. 

"No," replied Coricopat, wondering what the tigress was up to. 

"Alyzria, why don't you and Munkustrap show us?" she asked. 

The Siamese narrowed her eyes at the striped Queen, and blushed faintly. 

"Sure, if you want?" said Alyzria, trying to sound nonchalant. Munkustrap nodded. 

The Siamese moved out into a clear space, while Munkustrap crouched near the drainpipe. Alyzria stretched, then slowly began to perform the beautifully choreographed dance. Rubena watched with interest, as Munkustrap ran forward and continued the ballet-like dance. 

"Jellicle cats come out tonight, Jellicle cats come one come all. The Jellicle moon is shining bright, Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball," he sang in a clear tenor. 

Coricopat and Rubena applauded loudly, whereupon Alyzria blushed again. 

"Have you a fever?" inquired Munkustrap, concerned. Alyzria put her paws to her cheeks and felt the heat which had spread over her skin. 

"I-I must go!" she stammered, jogging gracefully away from the group. 

Munkustrap's eyes followed her retreating back, bewildered and mystified. 

"What was all that about?" 

* * *

That evening found Rubena strolling around the Junkyard, for no paricular reason. It was one of those few times she was alone these days. Munkustrap had gone to find Alyzria, still worried about her "fever". 

Suddenly, an angry hiss sounded from behind Rubena's back. Immediately, the tigress spun around, crouched in a fighting position and with unsheathed claws. A rustling sound came from under a large orange sheet of plastic, and two figures, a male and a female, emerged. 

Rubena relaxed when she recognised Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. A wide grin spread over her face. 

"Hey, you two. How's your `trade' going?" 

To her surprise, the two calicos were grim-faced. She backed off slightly in confusion. 

"I could ask you the same thing," Mungojerrie hissed angrily. 

"What?" 

"We saw the two of you together," growled Rumpleteazer. "We told Old Deut, and the whole tribe should know by now." 

Rubena noticed that the pair's cockney accents had weakened substantially. 

"Who did you see me together with? Coricopat? I didn't realise there was anything wrong w-" 

"Don't play dumb," Rumpleteazer cut her off. "I'm talking about a certain scruffy ginger with a reputation even worse that ours!" 

"In Victoria Grove," Mungojerrie added. 

Rubena's surprised look didn't seem to have much effect. 

"_I_ haven't left the Junkyard since first I arrived," she informed the snarling duo. "And I've never even _been_ in Victoria Grove!" 

"Then who was the lady walking alongside our good Macavity this afternoon? You're pretty distinctive, you know," Rumpleteazer sneered. 

Suddenly, things became a lot clearer to the honey-coloured tigress. 

"You saw her?" 

Now it was Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's turn to look confused. 

"What do you mean?" Mungojerrie asked suspiciously. 

Rubena felt very uncomfortable. 

"Uh, well, the cat you saw was..." 

"...not Rubena," a winded voice puffed behind them. 

The tigress jumped in fright. She hadn't heard Alyzria coming up behind her. 

"Can you explain this, 'Lyz?" Rumpleteazer inquired. 

Alyzria didn't answer immediately, she had to catch her breath first. 

"The cat you saw was Rubena's twin sister. Apparently she's plotting a bit of revenge against Rubena for a little skirmish they had just before Rubena arrived. She dropped in on us this morning with Macavity." 

The calico duo had no immediate response. Instead, they just stared at Rubena in utter susprise. Then Rumpleteazer walked up to the tigress, looking very embarrassed. 

"I-I'm sorry... I guess we were a bit quick to react..." 

Rubena shook her head. 

"How were you supposed to know? The only genetic difference between the two of us is that Cal -that's my twin- has slightly more reddish fur than I do. It's a lot easier to tell us apart by our different assortments of scars." 

With that, she gestured towards her torso, with the same rueful look she always wore when she thought about the injury which had caused that paricular blemish. 

Alyzria gave her friend a worried look. 

"By now, the whole tribe will be thinking you're a phoney. We'd best find Old D." 

Rubena stretched and yawned. 

"The damage is done. Tomorrow's another day, and Old Deutoronomy will be asleep by now. I just hope the twins won't hate me." 

_Why do I get the feeling she's more worried about Coricopat's feelings towards the situation?_ Alyzria thought suspiciously. She quickly shoved the thought aside, telling herself she was being ridiculous. 

* * *

Chapter 12


	12. Chapter 12: Rumours Unraveled

Animal Instincts, Chapter 12 

Chapter 12: Rumours Unraveled 

* * *

The sun had just decided to peek over the horizon, flooding the Junkyard in buttery yellow light. Only a few Jellicles were up and about, but one trio of cats drew particular attention from the others: an ancient greyish tom, a scarred tigress and a black siamese. The two queens seemed to be doing most of the talking, while the ancient regal-looking tom listened silently, an odd expression on his face. Finally, he broke the silence which followed. 

"This story is certainly very different to what I heard from Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer," he admitted. "But it does explain the situation." 

Rubena breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. 

"However," the old tom continued, "I would like to know this: why would this twin of yours side with Macavity? I understand they're not on the best of terms." 

"They both hate me," the tigress said bitterly. "It is worth coming to a truce of sorts to them, as long as they get rid of me. It is sort of a grudging alliance, if you will." _and a case of physical attraction,_ she finished to herself. 

Old Deutoronomy stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"What worries me is that their grudge against you could endanger the rest of the tribe," he said with a concerned expression. 

"Are you going to make her _leave_?" Alyzria demanded, outraged. "Just because two obnoxious cats who aren't even Jellicles don't like the look of her nose?" 

Rubena snorted. It just so happened that her nose was indeed slightly different to the one which graced her twin sister's features. 

"Don't worry, I have no intentions of doing anything of that sort," the tom said soothingly. "I'm just trying to think of a way to keep the others safe." 

Rubena hung her head slightly in shame. 

"I'm sorry. I brought _my_ problems into the whole tribe." 

The Jellicle leader made a vague "forget about it" gesture, a faraway look on his features. Alyzria took her friend by her right arm. 

"Let's go," she whispered. "He's off with the fairies - or at least off with the solutions to the insoluble." 

Rubena nodded and followed the Siamese. 

Almost immediately, they ran into the twins, who seemed quite uncomfortable. Rubena had dreaded that moment, and wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. They stopped in front of the twins, and an awkward silence followed. 

"Is it true?" Coricopat asked, his right had hovering over the tigress's shoulder. 

Rubena crossed her arms and looked to the ground, a small scowl crossing her features. Then she looked the black tabby straight in the face. 

"If you're talking about the story 'bout me and Scruffy, no." 

"Please don't take it personally," Tantomile said quietly. "With all those stories flying around, we didn't know _what_ to believe." 

There was no apparent reaction from the tigress, who had Coricopats hand resting on her left shoulder. 

"Could you tell us what exactly is going on?" Coricopat asked uneasily. 

Rubena looked to the side, her arms still crossed, the small scowl still on her face. 

"You explain," she mumbled towards Alyzria. 

Alyzria looked at her friend in concern. She had never seen her like this... She turned to the expectant Tantomile and Coricopat. 

"Here's what happened. You know how beaten up Rubena was when she first arrived here?" 

The twins nodded. 

"I had to help Jelly, remember?" Coricopat said. 

Rubena looked up, but said nothing. 

"That's right. Anyway, yesterday morning, after our sparring session, the person who did that showed up - turns out she's Rubena's twin sister." 

The twins looked at the silent tigress with surprise. This made sense... obviously Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had seen the twin! Tantomile turned her attention back to Alyzria. 

"Was Macavity with her?" 

"You bet he was. I almost sliced his throat." 

"Wow, someone's having a violent influence on you," Coricopat commented with a grin towards Rubena. A glare from the tigress silenced him, and he immediately regretted his words. 

"So basically, Mac and Rubena's evil clone - her name's Callisto, by the way - have teamed up. Apparently they've got a huge grudge against her." 

The twins looked at the tigress again, who still was silent. Somehow, neither of them wanted to be near her right how. Tantomile cleared her throat. 

"We'll start spreading the news," she announced. 

"...try and set things right," Coricopat added in a mumble. 

They both bounded off. Alyzria turned to her friend. What was wrong with her? She wouldn't be so upset about an old enemy, would she? Alyzria thought of Rubena as a fairly level-headed cat, even if she did love the fight training they did every morning. The tigress was still looking towards the ground, and Alyzria suspected that she was trying to hide the upset expression which clouded her features. The Siamese placed a hand on Rubena's upper arm, her blue eyes filled with concern. 

"Should we do our sparring now?" she asked quietly. 

She barely heard the reply. 

"I guess so," the tigress whispered. Alyzria thought she had detected a small tremble in her voice. 

* * *

Alyzria would have thought that her friend wouldn't be trying very hard this time, but she was a little surprised to see the fast, powerful swings Rubena manouvered her blades with. Only after they had finished did Alyzria notice how white the tigress's knuckles were, and how she had to pry her fingers off the handles of her scimitars. 

After having a quick drink, Rubena sat down with her back against the stripped wheel of a rusty crane and almost curled up in a ball. Alyzria sat down next to her friend, feeling awkward. Finally she got up and cleared her throat. 

"I'll go see if Munkustrap knows," she said. 

Rubena looked up at her with unusually shiny eyes. 

"He was there when she showed up, remember?" 

"Oh, yeah..." 

Alyzria sat down next to her again. Rubena stared ahead moodily. 

"Go find him anyway," she said finally. "He's bound to be better company than I am at the moment." 

The Siamese got up again, wondering if she should really go find the tabby in question. She looked down at Rubena again, surprised how small she looked. _Like some protective wall fell down,_ Alyzria realised. She decided that her friend wanted to be left alone. She quickly kneeled down and gave the tigress a quick hug before bounding off in search of Munkustrap. 

The tigress watched the Siamese leave, and finally allowed a single tear to trickle out of the corner of her eye and down the side of her face where it came to rest at her jawline before falling onto the dusty floor. She hated to think about what Callisto would do to her friends when she got her paws on them. Macavity would do his best to defeat Alyzria, who had humiliated him by catching him off-guard. The red ginger also loved to pick fights with Munkustrap. Callisto would go after anyone who was remotely close to Rubena. Old Deutoronomy... Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer... Jemima... Bombalurina... _Coricopat_... and Tantomile, for that matter. 

Rubena swallowed a hard lump in her throat. She wouldn't let that happen. She wiped a second tear away from the corner of her eye and unsheathed her weapons once more, slicing through images of Callisto and Macavity which refused to get out of her mind. Finally, she collapsed and fell into a fitful sleep. Alyzria found her curled up in a tight ball and with swollen eyelids. 

* * *

Chapter 13 


	13. Chapter 13: Battle Strategies

Animal Instincts, Chapter 13 

Chapter 13: Battle Strategies 

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain terracotta twin with a scar over her left eye and a `scruffy' ginger tom were discussing fighting techniques. 

"Look Mac, magic is the best way to go! The physical side of things will just accentuate the attack. Magic is best." 

The female feline used strong gestures to relay her point across. Something resembling a growl came from deep in Macavity's throat. 

"My dear Callisto," he replied mockingly. "I pride myself on knowing a little more than you about the Jellicles. And rest assured, they are up to casting a fair amount of magic. There's your sweet twin for starters." 

Callisto sniffed with contempt. 

"Her? She just has a little fire magic, that's all. Easy to deal with." 

Macavity rolled his eyes. 

"How do you think she was initiated into the tribe? She was tested on fire magic and I was watching. You underestimate your opponents," the ginger tom replied, running a freshly sharpened claw down Callisto's torso, just enough to open a scratch. 

Callisto glared at him anger, before unsheathing her own claws. 

"Who cares? If Rubena's the only one we to deal with, we're home free!" 

Macavity exhaled loudly. 

"Again, Callisto, you underestimate your opponents. Alyzria, the rude Siamese, has a considerable amount of elemental magic." 

Macavity's lip curled as he remembered the way in which the Siamese had caught him off-guard with her dagger. It would not happen again. 

"And of course, there's Magical Mister Mistoffelees." 

Callisto frowned. "Who do you speak of, this Mistoffelees? I do not know of him." 

Macavity laughed. 

"Only the most sought after magician in London! Surely you've heard of the conjuring cat?" 

Callisto growled. Now she remembered. Little pipsqueak! 

"Indeed. But all he can do is disappear and cast lightning." 

Macavity had had enough. He seized the tigress by her upper arms and stared straight into her eyes. 

"Don't push me," he hissed angrily. 

Callisto cocked a quizzical eyebrow. 

"Don't underestimate _me_," she replied huskily. 

And with that, she leaned forward, and before Macavity knew it, her mouth was hard on his own, silencing his angry reply. 

* * *

Alyzria squealed as the trampoline which had been dropped in the Junkyard propelled her several feet into the air. 

"Wow, 'Lyz, that must have been at least three meters!" Pouncival said appreciatively before testing the springs himself, resulting in a similar effect. 

"Look who's talking, _Bouncival_," Alyzria retorted. "Oy, Rubena, wanna test the springs?" 

The tigress was sitting next to the trampoline, trying to hide her grin. 

"I don't think so," she said. "I very much doubt the safety of this contraption." 

"Stop giving me that sophisticated jabber," Alyzria called from her current position in mid-air. "Start talkin' normally again!" 

A blank expression which could break into a wide grin at any moment spread over Rubena's features. 

"Sure, like, whatever, 'Lyz." 

"That's better!" Alyzria yelled before lifting off again. "Oy! Where you two going?" 

The last question had been directed at Pouncival and Tumblebrutus, who had left the doubtful safety of their new toy to walk towards the tigress and position themselves at each of her sides. 

"May I have this Bounce?" Pouncival asked gallantly with his best bow. 

"What?" 

"Affirmative is the only answer we can compute," Tumblebrutus continued. 

With that, they hoisted the tigress off her feet, each holding her by one arm. 

"_HEEELLP!_" 

Alyzria grinned at her friend. 

"You should be able to get yourself out of this fix easy enough," she called. 

"You're right!" 

Suddenly, the two toms had to struggle to hold on to her. They found themselves whirled around as if Rubena were some sort of out-of control caroussel. Once they were properly dizzy, the tigress dug her heels into the ground. 

"That all you got?" Tumblebrutus panted. 

"Takes more than that to throw us off," Pouncival wheezed. 

The tigress pouted. 

"Don't flatter yourselves. If you weren't such squirts, I would fight you much harder! As for your present condition - I might hurt you!" 

"_Squirts?_" the two toms cried in outrage. "That's it, you're in for it!" 

And so, Rubena found herself dragged onto the trampoline and forcibly bounced around. Finally, they let go of her. 

"You're mine," she spluttered and attacked the two perpetrators. 

"Not being a very good example for the younger generation, are we?" 

Rubena whirled around to face the source of the familiar baritone voice. 

"Aaw, c'mon Munkus, don't be such a stiff! C'mon 'Lyz, I might need your help here!" 

Now it was Munkustrap's turn to be faced by two relentless foes. He yelped in surprise as Rubena and Alyzria got hold of him, Alyzria his arms and Rubena his legs. 

"And a-one, and a-two..." Rubena yelled as they swung the silver tabby back and forth as if to throw him onto the trampoline. 

"We'll catch!" Pouncival called down to them. 

However that was unneccessary, because Munkustrap had already been lifted onto the trampoline, barely restrained by a pair of madly giggling felines. 

* * *

Chapter 14 


	14. Chapter 14: Nocturnal Discussions

Animal Instincts, Chapter 14 

Chapter 14: Nocturnal Discussions 

* * *

The last few rays of golden sunlight disappeared behind the vicarage wall, and the first few stars began to appear in the still orange sky. 

"I wonder what Macavity and Callisto are doing right now," Alyzria said thoughfully. 

Rubena leaned back on the moth-eaten couch and surveyed the full moon above them. 

"I've got a fair idea. They'll be arguing about how to exterminate me, and try to outsmart each other in the process." 

Alyzria looked at the tigress who was lounging next to her. 

"You're not worried about what they might do?" 

"I'm not going to waste any time worrying myself sick. I just figure that they'll show up sooner or later, and all we can do is be prepared. That's why I'm still training in the martial arts." 

Alyzria fidgeted for a second, then addressed her friend again. 

"Why didn't you tell me about Callisto?" 

Rubena turned to look her friend in the face. 

"I would have eventually. It's just that I didn't want to think about it. I wasn't going to keep it a secret, if that's what you mean." 

"Well, I guess I wouldn't like to think about it either," Alyzria conceded. "But I still reckon you should have told the tribe." 

"Yeah, I guess so..." 

They sat in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts. The sky now had well and truly turned to the colour of ink. 

"Maybe we can get a headstart on them," Alyzria started again. 

"How?" 

Alyzria grinned evilly, her teeth briefly flashing in the darkness. 

"Tantomile and _Coricopat_ could get a reading on them using their psychic powers." 

Rubena crossed her arms indignantly. 

"Is there any particular reason why you are emphasising Coricopat?" 

Alyzria repeated her evil grin. 

"Admit it, you _like_ him." 

Rubena glared at her friend. 

"I never denied that. And by the way, remind me to tease you about Munkustrap from now on!" 

Alyzria's evil grin was replaced by an embarrassed one, and she was grateful for the darkness which hid her blush. 

"Is it that obvious?" 

The tigress grinned. 

"It was when you did the Invitation To The Jellicle Ball dance." 

Alyzria's blush deepened. 

"Anyway," the tigress continued. "It might well be a good idea to ask the twins if they can find out anything useful." 

"Yeah..." 

"And as much as I hate to admit it," she added, "Mistoffelees might be of good use in this problem." 

"Mistoffelees?" the Siamese asked in astonishement. 

"Yeah. Not only does he have considerable skill in the magic department, but he also has great potential as a fighter on the physical side of things." 

"As a fighter?" Alyzria looked at the tigress in surprise. "But he's a dancer!" 

"You'd be surprised how little difference there is between fighting and dancing." 

Suddenly, a small black shadow appeared out of the darkness. 

"May I join you ladies?" a familiar voice asked. 

"We're talking _about_ you, not _to_ you," Alyzria told the shadow. 

"Is that so?" 

Mistoffelees sat down beside the tigress and gave her a teasing look. 

"Pining over yours truly?" 

Rubena glared at him. 

"Don't flatter yourself, you second-rate excuse for tomcat!" 

The second-rate excuse for a tomcat grabbed his chest in pain. 

"ARRGH! And Ribena thrusts her knives right through my heart once more!" 

"Ooookay..." the tigress moved away from the black tomcat. 

Alyzria laughed. 

"It just so happens that Rubena thinks you'd be a valuable member about the Junkyard's special Anti-Macavity-and-Callisto Forces." 

"The painful truth..." Mistoffelees sighed. The he brightened. "But I would be delighted to join you two lovely ladies in your sweat-squirting combat training," he declared. 

The tigress crossed her arms and scowled at Mistoffelees. 

"Well, then I want one thing to be perfectly clear: I will not be referred to as a human beverage, but Rubena. Of course," she added slyly, "You can call me `Colonel Rubena _Sir_'." 

Mistoffelees shuddered. 

"I will pass, thanks. But from this day forward I am no longer the beverage cat, but the Magical Mister Mistoffelees." 

Rubena glared at him. 

"Agreed," she snapped, and they shook paws vigorously. 

Alyzria giggled at the pair. This could cause some quite amusing incidents. 

"You do realise that you have to get up early," she grinned at the black shadow. 

"Mefisto forbid," Mistoffelees cried in shock. 

The two other felines laughed at his horrified expression. 

"You'll survive," Alyzria said good-naturedly. "You're so nocturnal that it'll be just like a late night for you." 

Rubena got up, stretched and yawned loudly. 

"Well, I'm going to catch up on some Z's," she said, cracking her knuckles. "I've got black mages to defeat in the morning." 

With that, she left the pair alone, followed by a flurry of evil looks from Mistoffelees and Alyzria's laughter. 

* * *

Chapter 15 


	15. Chapter 15: A Window To The Future

Animal Instincts, Chapter 15 

Chapter 15: A Window To The Future

* * *

Rubena stared into the milky white swirling depths of the ball of light in front of her. It was suspended a few inches above the small blanket spread out over the floor. Tantomile and Coricopat gazed into the same swirling mist, but Rubena couldn't help doubting that they could see anything in there. Still, they did seem fascinated... 

Suddenly, Tantomile gave a small hiss to attract Coricopat's attention and pointed to a particular spot in the mass of milky swirls. Coricopat moved around to Tantomile's side and gazed at that spot for several seconds. 

Coricopat briefly looked up, and Rubena could seen the swirls reflected in his eyes as he beckoned for her to come and see. Rubena moved to the other side, still rather doubtful that she would see anything. She leanded closer to the ball and looked at the spot Coricopat pointed to, but the grey-white swirls looked the same as everywhere else in the ball to her. She looked up at Coricopat and gave a small shake of her head, accompanied by an apologetic look. 

The black and silver tabby placed a paw on her shoulder and whispered, "Don't try to focus on anything. Let your eyes wander and try not to blink. if you want to look at a particular spot, try to do it out of the corner of your eye." 

Rubena followed his instructions and dropped her eyes out of focus. For a while, she only saw the same milky white. Just when she was ready to give up, she noticed a faint streak of red-orange lancing across the contents of the sphere. Coricopat grinned. He could tell by the little gasp she had given that she had seen it. 

Careful not to look straight at the streak of colour, Rubena turned her head slightly side-on and gazed at it out of the corner of her eye. Slowly, the streak took shape, and Rubena could see the little flickers of fire dancing across it. She gave Coricopat a questioning look. He indicated for her to keep looking. 

Rubena turned her attention back to the fiery streak. It had grown to a substantial size, and a dark shadow had appeared in its centre. Slowly, it grew into the silhouette of a wiry female cat. Only a pair of amber eyes and a scar running over one of them were visible in her face. 

"Callisto," Rubena murmured as her twin's face was lit up just enough to show that she was leering. The image disappeared when Rubena turned to face it. She turned side-on to look at the swirling mist out of the corner of her eye again. Slowly, two new shapes began to form in the ivory swirls. The streak of fire had returned, this time accompanied by crackles of electricity. It took all of Rubena's willpower not to look straight at it. After an agonisingly long period of time, the fire took the shape of a tiger which seemed to be made of flames. The electric bolts had taken the form of a large lizard which balanced on its hind legs and sported a set of apparently razor-sharp teeth, as well as surprisingly large eyes. _That's a sign of intelligence,_ Rubena reflected. 

Tantomile moved her paws on either side of the ivory coloured sphere of mist, and brought them together, causing the ball to contract and disappear. With the light cast by the sphere gone, they were plunged into darkness, but Rubena could tell by the sound of his breathing that Coricopat was still on her right, and by Tantomile's steps that she was walking past them to open the drape which kept the den so dark, revealing a starry sky. 

Rubena heard Coricopat get up at the same time she did, and moved out of the den to breathe the cool night air. Tantomile was still in the den, _probably putting away her light sphere or something,_ Rubena thought. She turned to face Coricopat, who had been standing behind her. 

"What did all that stuff mean?" she asked. "I mean, I saw it, but I can't make any sense of it." 

The black and silver tabby placed his paw on her upper arm, just below her shoulder. 

"Callisto appeared because she is your opponent. Along with her came her means of battling you - apparently fire magic." 

"But what about the tiger and the lizard?" 

"I don't know," Coricopat admitted. "It looks like we might have to ask Old Deutoronomy." 

An awkward silence followed. Rubena racked her brains for what she could say to break the silence, but she couldn't think of anything. _Brain Freeze,_ she thought to herself in disgust. The fact that Coricopat's paw was still on her arm was distracting too. Rubena could feel the veins pulsing in his fingertips. Why did you always have to notice that kind of stuff in this kind of situation? She wondered what was taking Tantomile so long. 

Finally, a black form emerged out of the shadows. 

"So, how'd it go?" 

Now Rubena realised that it was Alyzria, not Tantomile. Coricopat mumbled something unintelligable, causing Alyzria to raise a quizzical eyebrow. 

"Any decent readings?" 

Rubena wrenched her jaws apart to answer. 

"Some interesting stuff," she told the Siamese. "I'll tell you later. 

Alyzria looked around. 

"Where's Tantomile?" 

Coricopat pointed backwards over his shoulder with his thumb, towards the den they had come out of. 

"Well, say hi to her for me." Then she turned her attention to the tigeress. "You coming to get some bats for dinner?" 

Rubena nodded. 

"Yeah, okay." She briefly turned towards Coricopat. "See you tomorrow." 

The tabby gave a small wave and turned to go back into the den. 

As soon as they were out of hearing distance, the Siamese looked at her friend. 

"Was I interrupting something?" 

Rubena scratched her head and looked at the sky. 

"I don't really know myself," she answered. "Either way, I'm glad you came. I was having a major case of brain freeze." 

"Oohhh, that bad?" 

Rubena glared at the Siamese. Alyzria simply smiled amiably. 

"Well, there's one thing I know: I've never seen Coricopat act like this." 

The tigress felt herself starting to blush. Alyzria gave her a big grin and patted her on the back. 

"Believe me, my friend, you've got a fighting chance," she said, laughing at the indignant look on Rubena's face.

* * *

Chapter 16 


	16. Chapter 16: Sparring and Philosophy

Animal Instincts, Chapter 16 

Chapter 16: Sparring and Philosophy

* * *

Rubena paced around the den she had recently started sharing with Alyzria. She hadn't heard anything new about her twin's antics since the time she had seen her in Tantomile's "crystal ball", which was never a good sign, and always a good reason to feel restless. There was nothing she hated more than waiting for an attack to come. The only thing she could do was be as well prepared as possible. 

Resisting the urge to pull out her headfur with frustration, she grabbed the two long, curved blades hanging on the wall and went searching for someone to practise with. A grey and black tabby caught her eye and the tigress smiled mischeviously. 

"Oh, MUN-kus!" she called in a high-pitched innocent voice, surreptiously placing her scimitars behind her back where the leader's son couldn't see them. 

Munkustrap turned to look at the tigress, who was wearing her best wide-eyed innocent look, and slowly walked towards her. 

"Hello Rubena, what sort of horrible schemes are you planning to involve me in?" he asked in his usual polite manner. The corner of his mouth rose as he noticed the tip of a blade sticking out from behind Rubena's back. Rubena's eyes widened even further as if in surprise. 

"How can you even _suggest_ such a thing?" she asked incredulously, then replaced her innocent look with a grin of the utmost wickedness. 

With the ease of practise, Rubena threw one of the scimitars at him. Munkustrap's reflexes allowed him to catch the unexpected blade. 

"Spar with me?" the tigress asked pleadingly. 

"Well, I don't - " Munkustrap started, then grinned devilishly at the tigress's imploring look. 

"Why not?" he said, slashing downards at Rubena's head, as though to cleave it in two. 

Rubena blocked it easily and returned with a swipe to his torso, which Munkustrap gracefully dodged, and promptly swung his blade up where the two met with a resounding 'clang'. 

They kept exchanging blows for a while, neither of them gaining an advantage, until Rubena's blade came to a sudden stop only millimetres away from Munkustrap's cheekbone, and both of them froze in place. 

"You're getting lazy," the tigress scolded. 

Munkustrap grinned and pointed his thumb at the approaching group of felines; Alyzria, Mistoffelees, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer and Coricopat. "I blame it on them for distracting me." 

The group in question came to a halt in front of the pair. Rubena opened her mouth to say something to Munkustrap, but Alyzria silenced her. 

"No, let me say it." The Siamese turned to Munkustrap, stood as tall as her small build permitted, gave the silver tabby a stern look and almost roared, "You should never let _anything_ unnecessarily distract you in battle, and explanations are excuses and should therefore either not be used or not found necessary in the first place!" She turned back to the tigress and asked mildly, "Did I leave anything out?" 

Rubena blinked, dumbfounded. The rest of the feline group burst out laughing at the sight of a speechless Rubena and a meek-looking Munkustrap. 

Munkustrap saluted Alyzria crisply. "Yes, ma'am." 

Rubena finally found her tongue, which had grown quite indignant in its absence. "I never said that!" 

Alyzria smiled mysteriously like a black, blue-eyed sphinx. "Ah yes, but you _thought_ it many, many times." 

"Ooookay..." Rubena moved towards Coricopat in an attempt to get as far away from the Siamese as possible. "Has your mind-reading sister been hanging around my friend more than usual lately?" she inquired. 

Coricopat stroked his chin in thought. "Now that you mention it..." Rubena looked at him in horror. 

She turned back to the Siamese. 

"Okay, spit it out, have you been poking around in my mind lately?" 

Alyzria laughed. 

"Don't worry, I don't really want to know what's going on in that head of yours." 

"I don't know whether to be relieved or insulted," the tigress admitted with a pout, causing the calicos and the magic cat to chuckle evilly. They only stopped when both Munkustrap and Rubena gave them looks sharp enough to shave the Great Rumpus Cat's head. 

"As much as I love this little display of tempers," Mungojerrie said, "We really came here on matters of business." 

Rubena raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh? What kind of business? Did you raid an armory and decide that you could try and barter your stolen goods to us?" 

Rumpleteazer grinned. "You, my friend, are verrry close," she told her. 

Rubena's eyebrow went even higher. "Ooookay... what to you have for us?" 

Mungojerrie could tell that he had the tigress's interest. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" he asked mysteriously. 

Rubena eyed him critically. "Depends," she conceded. 

Mungojerrie leaned closer to her, while the other Jellicles (except for Rumpleteazer) strained to hear what he was saying. However, Mungojerrie took excellent care that nothing he said leaked out, leaving the rest of the group mystified as Rubena rocked back and suddenly started laughing out loud and wiping tears from her eyes. 

"What?" Alyzria demanded, looking at her friend, who seemed to have no intention of stopping her whoops of mirth. Finally, Rubena calmed down and looked at Mungojerrie, still chuckling. 

"Alright, you notorious thief, let's see what you've got in those bags." 

The calicos didn't have to be asked twice. They emptied their bags with teir usual flourish, revealing various intricately carved sheathes containing long, thin swords. Rubena unsheathed one of them and tested the edge. She nodded her approval as the blade neatly sheared off a small section of the fur on her paw. 

"So... what did you intend to give them to us for?" she asked in a business-like tone. 

Rumpleteazer scuffed her foot. "Just a tiny itsy-bitsy however-so-crucial little service on your part," she informed her. "We want you and 'Lyz as sparring partners. I swear you two fight almost as mean as Macavity! Maybe even just as mean!" 

Rubena grinned. "Is that all? Well, you do have my service." She turned to Alyzria. "What about you?" 

The Siamese grinned too. "Wild Pollicles couldn't stop me from getting one of these," she said, fingering one of the intricate blades. "What about you, Misto?" she asked the Magic cat, who had been silent so far. 

The black mage gave the blades a contemptuous look, then held up his paw which was abruptly engulfed in bolts of lightning. Suddenly, the sparks vanished, and Mistoffelees was holding an ebony sword with a pearl-studded hilt. 

"I supply my own weapons," he informed them loftily and twirled the blade in his paw. Rubena shrugged. 

"Suit yourself," she said. She then grabbed two of the stolen blades which were fairly similar, and experimentally swung them through the air. Alyzria took two likewise, leaving three swords on the ground. 

"Freeforall!" Mungojerrie shouted, diving for the pile. Rumpleteazer did likewise, and apparently Munkustrap had managed to join the fray, for by the time the dust kicked up by the calicos had cleared, He was holding a blade as well. 

Alyzria surveyed the darkening sky overhead. "Well, it's too late for a sparring session now," she said decicively. "I'm going to hit the sack." With that, she walked off. Munkustrap, Mistoffelees, and the calicos went their seperate ways, leaving Rubena alone with the psychic twin standing only a few feet away, his back turned to her. The tigress walked over to the black and white tabby, leaving her two new swords behind. She was about to open her mouth to say something when he shushed her with one finger. 

"I know what you're going to ask," he said quietly. "And let me tell you now, the answer is no. You're the fighter, not me. I'd rather help the tribe in a more peaceful way." 

Rubena found herself slightly taken aback. She looked intently at Coricopat's face, which was turned slightly down and towards the side. She had to look up to do so, which was a rare thing with her height. Finally, she trusted herself to speak again. 

"It's a good thing, I guess, the tribe's already got a whole pack of fighters," she almost whispered, though she had no idea why. "Your powers are unique, which makes you valuable." 

Coricopat lifted his gaze from the ground. "It's more than just that," he informed her as quietly as he had before. "I couldn't handle a real fight. I'd probably freeze up or collapse or something. And if I did happen to win, I could never bring myself to... to finish the job." 

Surprising herself, and certainly Coriopat, Rubena gave the large tom a quick, fierce hug. "You know what?" she told him, still in a whisper. "When I hear you talking like that, I really start to question my own nature, and I wonder if the fact that I enjoy a fight to a certain degree makes me a sort of a bad person." 

The psychic tabby shook his head. "No. From what I can see, you're not cold-blooded. I think you just like the adrenaline rush, am I right?" 

The tigress chuckled, and to her vast surprise found herself wiping a tear from her eye. "That's about it," she admitted. 

"Well, you see, that's not my kind of thing. You happen to be a warrior, while I'm a bit more on the peaceful side." 

Rubena continued to chuckle. "It's almost like we're the two poles on a magnet. Though our roles were switched around, I think." 

Coricopat grinned, his teeth briefly flashing in the darkness which had so rapidly approached. Rubena tugged a strand of her headfur. 

"Well, I'd best go find Alyzria. Knowing her, she'll be having trouble with her dinner." 

Coricopat gave a little laugh. "You really got her hooked on bats, didn't you." 

The tigress grinned wickedly. "Remind me to invite Misto for dinner sometime." She gave him one last brief hug, then sprinted off to find her Siamese friend, leaving the psychic tom standing in the darkness, listening to the retreating clatter of the swords she carried.

* * *

Chapter 17 


End file.
